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Mikhail Lazarev | |
|---|---|
 Portrait by Robert Schwede, 1844 | |
| Born | (1788-11-14)14 November 1788 Vladimir, Russian Empire |
| Died | 23 April 1851(1851-04-23) (aged 62) Vienna, Austrian Empire |
| Allegiance |  Russia |
| Branch | Imperial Russian Navy |
| Rank | Rear admiral |
| Battles / wars | |
AdmiralMikhail Petrovich Lazarev (Russian:Михаил Петрович Лазарев; 14 November [O.S. 3 November] 1788 – 23 April [O.S. 11 April] 1851)[1] was a Russianfleet commander andexplorer.
Lazarev was born inVladimir city, ascion of the oldRussian nobility from the Vladimir province.[2] In 1800, he enrolled inRussia's Naval College. Three years later he was sent to theBritishRoyal Navy, where he would stay for a continuous five-year navigation. From 1808 to 1813, Lazarev served in theBaltic Fleet. He took part in theRusso-Swedish War of 1808–1809 andPatriotic War of 1812.
Lazarev firstcircumnavigated theglobe in 1813–1816, aboard the vesselSuvorov; the expedition began atKronstadt and reachedAlaska. During this voyage, Lazarev discovered theSuvorov Atoll.
As a commander of the shipMirny andFabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen's deputy on hisworld cruise in 1819–1821 (Bellingshausen commandedVostok), Lazarev took part in the discovery ofAntarctica and numerous islands. On 28 January 1820 the expedition discovered the Antarctic mainland, approaching the Antarctic coast at the coordinates69°21′28″S2°14′50″W / 69.35778°S 2.24722°W /-69.35778; -2.24722 and seeing ice-fields there.
In 1822–1825, Lazarev circumnavigated the globe for the third time on hisfrigateKreyser, conducting broad research in the fields ofmeteorology andethnography.
In 1826, Lazarev became commander of the shipAzov, which would sail to theMediterranean Sea as the flagship of the First Mediterranean Squadron under command of AdmiralLogin Petrovich Geiden and participated in theBattle of Navarino in 1827. Lazarev received therank ofrear admiral for his excellence during the battle.
In 1828–1829, he was in charge of theDardanellesblockade. In 1830, Lazarev returned to Kronstadt and became a commander of naval units of the Baltic Fleet. Two years later, he was madeChief of Staff of theBlack Sea Fleet. In February–June 1833, Lazarev led a Russian squadron to theBosporus and signed theTreaty of Hünkâr İskelesi with theOttoman Empire. In 1833, Lazarev was appointed Commander of the Black Sea Fleet, the Black Sea ports, and also military governor ofSevastopol andNikolayev.
Admiral Lazarev exercised great influence both in technical matters and as a mentor to younger officers. He advocated the building of asteam-powered fleet, but Russia's technical and economic backwardness hindered his plans. He tutored a number of Russian fleet commanders, includingPavel Nakhimov (1802-1855),Vladimir Alexeyevich Kornilov (1806-1854),Vladimir Istomin (1810-1855), andGrigory Butakov (1820-1882).
Anatoll in thePacific Ocean, capes in theAmur Liman and on theUnimak Island, a former island in theAral Sea, abay[citation needed] and aport in theSea of Japan,bay andsea in theSouth Ocean, asettlement nearSochi and other locations bear Lazarev's name.
Russian and Soviet navies had ships named after the admiral:
Lazarev is buried with his disciples Nakhimov, Kornilov and Istomin in theAdmirals' Burial Vault in Sevastopol.[3] Aminor planet3660 Lazarev, discovered bySoviet astronomerNikolai Stepanovich Chernykh in 1978, is named after him.[4]
Media related toMikhail Petrovich Lazarev at Wikimedia Commons
